Musik mit künstlerischem Anspruch

“Nalěćo” (“Spring”) is not only the Sorbian word for a season. It is also the title of one of the most significant Sorbian oratorios, created by Handrij Zejler and Korla Awgust Kocor. The work is regularly performed by Sorbian choirs. In 2012, for example, it was presented at four different venues: the Staatstheater Cottbus, St Mary’s Church in Kamenz, the Waldstein Garden in Prague and the Frauenkirche in Dresden.

Like Nalěćo, other Sorbian oratorios and song cycles are performed on a regular basis. The Association of Sorbian Choirs is also committed to the works of Sorbian composers such as Bjarnat Krawc, Korla Awgust Kocor and Jan Bulank. The association was founded in 1923, when several Sorbian choral societies joined together to preserve Sorbian song, promote the choral movement and cultivate singing in the Sorbian language. This objective continues to guide the umbrella organisation of Sorbian choirs today.

As with all Sorbian associations, the organisation was banned by the National Socialist regime in 1937. The Association of Sorbian Choirs was re-established on 25 May 1991 and was among the first Sorbian organisations to be founded following the political changes of 1989/90.

The Association publishes sheet music and texts for its choirs and commissions composers, for example when a choir wishes to perform a new work to mark an anniversary. In recent years, it has organised two composition competitions, resulting in new contemporary choral works that have been incorporated into the repertoire of several choirs. Through programmes of high artistic standard, the Association contributes to the commemoration of important Sorbian figures. In 2011, for example, a festival programme was developed to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Bjarnat Krawc. All member choirs participated in this large-scale project, performing an extensive programme in Bautzen and Cottbus. There is also a regular joint project involving the Lower Sorbian choirs.

Since its re-establishment, the Association of Sorbian Choirs has been based within the Domowina, the political representative body of the Sorbian people. Both organisations pursue the shared aim of preserving and promoting the Sorbian language and culture. The Domowina supports cooperation between choirs and singing groups and other Sorbian professional associations and institutions. In 2012, for example, this cooperation included the development of the musical and staged programme for the official ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Domowina. The umbrella organisation of the Sorbian people also promotes cross-border cultural exchange, in which members of the Association frequently participate. Several choirs have maintained long-standing partnerships with ensembles in the Czech Republic and Poland and meet regularly with their partner choirs.

Today, the Association comprises 17 choirs, vocal and folklore groups with around 500 members, as well as additional individual members. All member organisations remain independent associations that determine their own concert activities. As an umbrella body, the Association provides advice on legal and financial matters, coordinates projects among its member choirs and organises joint initiatives. Regular choir meetings serve to foster professional and personal exchange. Many choirs, particularly in Lower Lusatia, face challenges in recruiting younger members, and in recent years several singing groups have had to discontinue their activities.

The Association of Sorbian Choirs seeks to create favourable conditions for the sustainable work of its choirs and singing groups. It supports the training of talented singers as conductors in order to ensure continuity of established traditions. Through concerts of high artistic quality, Sorbian choirs and vocal groups contribute to cultural life in the bilingual region of Lusatia. Their work supports Sorbian cultural identity and broadens awareness among German audiences of the artistic range and tradition of Sorbian music beyond its association with folklore.

Author: Constanze Knappe

Excerpt from the brochure: Im Zeichen des Lindenblatts. Die Domowina – Bund Lausitzer Sorben e. V. auf dem Weg in die Zukunft. 2nd revised edition, Bautzen 2013, pp. 19 f.
translation: deepL